Abstract
Osteoporosis is considered a serious debilitating disease. Cosmos caudatus (ulam raja), a plant containing antioxidant compounds and minerals, may be used to treat and prevent osteoporosis. This study determines the effectiveness of C. caudatus as bone protective agent in postmenopausal osteoporosis rat model. Thirty-two female rats, aged 3 months old, were divided into 4 groups. Group one was sham operated (sham) while group two was ovariectomized. These two groups were given ionized water by forced feeding. Groups three and four were ovariectomized and given calcium 1% ad libitum and force-fed with C. caudatus at the dose of 500 mg/kg, respectively. Treatments were given six days per week for a period of eight weeks. Body weight was monitored every week and structural bone histomorphometry analyses of the femur bones were performed. Ovariectomy decreased trabecular bone volume (BV/TV), decreased trabecular number (Tb.N), and increased trabecular separation (Tb.Sp). Both calcium 1% and 500 mg/kg C. caudatus reversed the above structural bone histomorphometric parameters to normal level. C. caudatus shows better effect compared to calcium 1% on trabecular number (Tb.N) and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp). Therefore, Cosmos caudatus 500 mg/kg has the potential to act as the therapeutic agent to restore bone damage in postmenopausal women.
Highlights
Estrogen deficiency increases the risk of developing osteoporosis
Group supplemented with C. caudatus showed weight gain but did not differ compared to the sham-operated group
The group supplemented with C. caudatus showed a higher trabecular number compared to ovariectomized group (Figure 5)
Summary
Estrogen deficiency increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. Estrogen was found to have antioxidant properties [1] and was shown to increase the expression of glutathione peroxidase in osteoclasts [2], an enzyme which is responsible for the degradation of hydrogen peroxide. Estrogen deficiency will reduce the expression of the enzyme and renders the bone susceptible to hydrogen peroxide attacks. Lipid peroxidation is increased due to the reduction in antioxidants [3], and reactive oxygen species are found to play a role in bone metabolism [4]. Free radicals have been shown to be cytotoxic to osteoblastic cells [5]. Loss of estrogens accelerates the effects of aging on bone by decreasing defence against oxidative stress which leads to bone loss [6]
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